Door operating device



June 14, 1938. E. A. HARRIS DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 14, 1938.

. E. A. HARRIS DOOR OPERATING DEVICE OriginalFiled Feb. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet '2- I Patented .lune 14, 1938 UNITED STATES DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Earl Harris, East Orange, N. J., assigner to Hvdoorauiic, Inc., East Orange, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application February 5, 1931, Serial No. 513,718, now Patent No. 1,954,813, dated April 17, 1934. Divided and this application March 6, 1934, Serial No. 717,502

7 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in door operating devices and is intended more particularly for the opening and closing of garage doors or the like which are designed to be raised and lowered in the opening and closing operations.

'I'his application is filed as a division of my application on Door operating devices, Serial N o. 513,718, filed February 5. 1931, now Patent No. 1,954,813, granted April 17 1934.

The object of the invention is to improve the character of the opening and closing mechanism for such doors to facilitate an entirely automatic manipulation of the doors.

The mechanism for opening or closing the doors is located in the upper portion of the garage or other building and is designed for raising and lowering the doors by electrically operated means. It utilizes a remote control for the door mechanism, permitting the controlling of the automatic opening or closing of the doors from some remote point.

This application is directed more particularly to the control of the electrically operated means whereby the electrical operating means is controlled synchronously with the hydraulic means responsive thereto.

'Ihe invention may be applied to the operation of any sliding doors or the like and is not limited to use on garage-doors.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the invention applied;

Flg. 1a is a similar view of an end portion thereof;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the remote control system;

Fig. i is a diagrammatic view of the cable and pulley system; and

Fig. is a partial diagrammatic and sectional view of the four-way valve and switches.

The invention is shown as applied to the raising and lowering of an overhead garage door or the like, although it may obviously be used for the operation of various types of doors, as may be found desirable.

The door is designated generally by the numeral I in Fig. l and is shown in a partially closed position. This door I has a connecting rod 2 pivotally connected with the upper end thereof and also pivotaily connected with a trolley' 3 mounted for movement longitudinally of and within a track 4 shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The trolley 3 is moved lengthwise of the track 4 in order to raise and lower the door.

A cable 5 is iixed to the trolley 3 and extends over stationary pulleys 8 and 'I at the opposite ends of the track t and in opposite directions around a douhie sheave 8, thence to adjustable clamps 9 and I0, where the ends of this cable are anchored and held xed, as shown in Fig. 1a.

Movement is imparted to the cable 5 and thence to the trolley 3 by moving the double sheave 8 lengthwise of its guide, formed by guide channels II arranged above the track 4. For this purpose, the double sheave 8 has a piston rod I2 connected therewith and extending to a piston within a cylinder I3, so that, as the piston and piston rod are moved back and forth within the cylinder I3. this motion is imparted to the double sheave 8.

The outer end of the cylinder I3 has a pipe I4 communicating therewith, which pipe extends to a four-way valve I5, see Fig. 5. A pipe I8 extends from the opposite end of the cylinder I3 to the opposite side of said four-way valve-I5. Another side of said four-way valve I5 has a pipe I'I extending therefrom to a gear pump I8 operated by a drive shaft I9 of an electric motor 20. This gear pump I8 communicates at one side with a fiuid reservoir 2I through connection 2| and at the opposite side with the pipe' II, said pump also having an air-dome 22 connected therewith, as shown in Fig. 2. A pipe 23 extends from the reservoir 2| to the other side of the four-way valve I5. 4

The four-way valve I5 is controlled by a lever 24 carrying a cross-arm 25. The lever 24 has a connecting rod 26 secured thereto and extending to an arm 21 of a lever 28 mounted on a post or support 29. The opposite ends f the lever 28 have iiexible cables 38 extending to a cross 3|, which also has cables 32 connected therewith, and which cables 32 extend to the hand controls at some remote point.

The arm 25 carries mercury switches 33 (see Fig. 5) adapted to electrically connect electric cables 34, one of which extends to a source of electric power designated generally by the numeral 35, while the other cable extends to the electric motor 20, and another cable 36 extends from the other side of the motor to the source of power 35 to complete the circuit.

The valve lever 24 is adapted to be automatically moi/'ed to a neutral position by a control rod 31 attached thereto and to a slidable rod 38 carrying control stops 39 in position to be engaged by a pin 40 extending laterally from and carried by the double sheave 8.

In operating the invention, a pull on one of the cables 32, according to whether or not the door is opened or closed, is transmitted through one of the cables 30 to the lever 28 and through the connecting rod 26 to the valve lever 24, toswing said lever to the proper position, as for instance into the position shown in Fig. 1, which tilts the mercury switches 33 properly to close the circuit to the motor 20, starting the motor and the pump i8, which forces the fluid, oil being ordinarily used, from the reservoir 2| through the pipe I1,

t four-way valve I5, and pipe Il into the end of i the cylinder I3, which forces the piston in the cylinder toward the opposite end and moves the connecting-rod I2 and the sheave 8 to the left in Fig. la.

This causes a movement of the cable 5 about the nxed sheaves 6 and 'I to move the trolley 3 in the direction of the arrow in Fig. l to complete the opening of the door, the latter following the connecting-rod 2. When the door hasreaclied its completely open position, the pin 40 strikes the stop 39 at the left of Fig. 1a, moving the rods 31 and 38 lengthwise to return the valve lever 24 to its upright position, which automatically deenergizes the motor 20 and stops the pumping operation and likewise the movement of the piston in the cylinder I3.

When the lever 24 is moved in the opposite direction, the operation is reversed. As the fluid is forced out of either end of the cylinder I3, it is forced through the pipe 23 into the reservoir 2|.

The remote control of the four-way valve is very effective and inexpensive. In a long garage,

the cables may extend along the long wall, and

a pull of either of them at any point will operate the door. The movement imparted to the valve lever 24 to automatically stop the flow of current to the motor also closes the four-way valve I5 and moves the cables to a neutral position. The motor may be stopped at any point to hold the door in the described position, where it is effectively locked by the mechanism.

I claim:

l. In a device of the character described, the combination of fluid power means, a valve arranged to control the fluid supply to the power means, motor driven means for supplying fluid power for said fluid power means, the valve being arranged in a fluid cir-cult between the motor driven means and the fluid power means, control means for the motor driven means associated and synchronized with the valve for simultaneous operation of the fluid power means and the motor driven means, and means operatively connected with the valve and arranged for operation by the fluid power means on extreme movements thereof in opposite directions for controlling said valve and control means.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of fluid power means, a valve arranged to control the fluid supply to said power means, electric-motor driven meansv for supplying fluid power for said fluid power means, the valve being arranged in a fluid circuit between the electric-motor-driven means and the fluid power means, control means for the electricmotor-driven means associated and synchronized with the valve for simultaneous operation of the means, the valve being arranged in a fluid circuit between the electric-motor-driven means and the fluid power means, control means for the electric-motor-driven means connected to the valve and responsive to the operation thereof, and means operatively connected with the valve and arranged for operation by the fluid power means on extreme movements thereof in opposite directions for controlling said valve and control means.

4. In a door operating device of the character described, the combination of a fluid motor, a valve arranged to control the supply of fluid to the fluid motor, an electric-motor driven pump for supplying fluid for the fluid motor, the valve being arranged in a fluid circuit between Ithe electric-motor-driven means and the fluid power means, control means for the electric-motordriven pump connected to the valve and responsive to the actuation thereof, and means operatively connected with the valve and arranged for operation by the fluid power means on extreme movements thereof in opposite directions for controlling said valve and control means.

5. In a hydraulic power unit, the combination of a hydraulic motor, means for supplying fluid selectively to opposite sides of said motor and including a reservoir, a pump and a valve in series with means extending from the valve to opposite sides of the hydraulic motor, the pump being arranged to supply fluid in a single direction to the valve for selective delivery to either side of the motor, an electric motor for driving the pump, controlling means for said electric motor connected with the valve and actuated in synchronism therewith, and means in position to be actuated by an extreme movement of the hydraulic motor in either direction and connected with the valve for moving the valve to a neutral position and simultaneously shift the electric motor controlling means to stop the electric motor.

6. In a hydraulic power unit, the combination of a hydraulic motor having a power member, means for supplying fluid selectively to opposite sides of said motor and including a pump and four-way valve in series with means extending from different sides of said valve to opposite sides of the hydraulic motor, the pump being arranged to supply fluid to the valve for selective delivery to the hydraulic motor, an electric motor for driving the pumpa lever for the four-way valve.

electrical switch means carried by said valve lever for controlling the electric motor in synchronism with movement of the valve, and means in position to be engaged and actuated by the hydraulic motor power member in each extreme position and connected with the valve lever for shifting said lever to move the valve to a neutral.

position and stop the motor.

7. In a hydraulic power unit, the combination of a hydraulic motor having a power member, means for supplying fluid selectively to opposite sides of said hydraulic motor, including a fourway valve, conduits leading from said valve to opposite sides of the motor, a pump having a single conduit leading therefrom to the four-way valve, an electric motor for driving the pump, a lever for the four-way valve, switch means connected with the lever for actuation thereby to control the electric motor in synchronism with movement of the valve`, and means actuated by extreme movement of the power member in each direction and connected with the lever for shifting the lever to move the valve to a neutral position and stop the motor.

EARL A. HARRIS. 

